Coltura is a left-of-center advocacy organization focused specifically on phasing out gasoline-powered cars and transitioning to electric vehicles. It seeks to end the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2030. ¹

Coltura collaborates with several climate activist organizations, including 350 Seattle, Northwest Energy Coalition, The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Sunrise Movement,  and creates coalitions to advocate for policy change. ^{2 3}

In addition to policy advocacy, Coltura collects and analyzes gasoline-usage data and has developed a recommendation that state legislatures should focus on the top 10 percent of gasoline users when developing electric-vehicle incentives. ⁴

Background

Coltura was formed in November 2014 ⁵ by attorney Matthew Metz to pursue the passage of gasoline phase-out laws in California and Washington. ⁶ The organization works to develop and sponsor policies that accelerate the transition away from gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles, with a goal of ending gas-powered car sales by 2030. It collects, analyzes, and publishes data to educate the public on the dangers of gasoline and the advantages of the transition, and it creates and publishes social media, art, music, and books to share information and influence people. ⁷

Work Areas

Coltura is working to advance policies that phase out gasoline by pursuing bills that will eliminate new gasoline and diesel vehicle sales by 2030 with an initial focus in California and Washington. ⁸

Coltura performs data collection and analytics to produce and publish reports. Its “Superusers Report” provides data on the top 10 percent of drivers it calls gasoline superusers, recommending that they should be the focus of policies and incentives to transition to electric vehicles. ⁹ Superusers reports were published in 2021 and in 2023. Along with the 2023 report, Coltura published an interactive gasoline consumption map and additional gasoline consumption data. ¹⁰

In September 2020, Coltura joined with Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network on a “Beyond Gasoline” initiative to end the use of gasoline in the Silicon Valley by advocating for policies that reduce gasoline use 50 percent by 2030 and educating the public on the presumed benefits of transitioning away from gasoline. ¹¹ Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network is a network of businesses, nonprofits, and individuals who identify issues and launch projects to address them, advocating for left-of-center solutions in areas such as climate, the economy, and education. ¹²

As part of their citizen education work, Metz and London wrote a children’s picture book entitled Sparky’s Electrifying Tale that warns children about the supposed dangers of burning fossil fuels. ¹³

Policies

In 2020, Coltura formed a coalition to push for SB 5811 to enable Washington to join the ZEV Program which requires automakers to stock a certain percentage of zero emission vehicles. The coalition included more than 40 organizations, including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) labor union and several environmentalist groups including 350 Seattle, Northwest Energy Coalition, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Sierra Club, and Union of Concerned Scientists. ¹⁴ The bill was passed and signed by Washington Governor Jay Inslee (D) on March 25, 2020. ¹⁵

In 2021, Coltura led a coalition to advocate the passage of HSB 1204 titled “Clean Cars 2030” which requires all cars that are model year 2030 or later to be electric vehicles. The coalition of over 25 organizations included Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), GreenLatinos, National Audubon Society, and Stand.earth. ¹⁶ The bill was vetoed by  Washington Governor Jay Inslee (D) because it incorporated a road usage charge. ¹⁷ In 2022, the legislature passed a similar bill as part of a broader transportation package to end the sales of new gasoline-powered cars by 2030. ¹⁸

Coltura is sponsoring California bill AB1267 which incentivizes lower-income drivers who use the most gasoline to switch to electric vehicles. Additional supporters include Communities for a Better Environment, GreenLatinos, Communities for a Better Environment, Acterra: Action for a Healthy Planet, Sunrise Movement – Silicon Valley, 350 Bay Area, Climate Action Campaign, and Elders Climate Action. ¹⁹ Co-executive director Janelle London testified on March 27, 2023 in support of the bill to incentivize gasoline “superusers” to transition to electric vehicles. ²⁰

Funding

Coltura reported 2021 revenues of $285,328 and expenses of $274,506. ²¹

Donors include American Online Giving Foundation, Bullitt Foundation, Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund, New Venture Fund (NVF), Schwab Charitable Fund, Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF), Tides Foundation, ²² Google Foundation, Microsoft, and Panorama Global. ²³

Leadership

Matthew Metz is the founder and co-executive director of Coltura. He graduated with a law degree from UCLA Law School and was a trial lawyer for 16 years prior to starting Coltura in 2014. ²⁴

Janelle London is co-executive director. She graduated with a law degree from UCLA Law School, practiced law for 7 years, founded patient advocacy group Dialysis Patient Citizens, and held several leadership roles at DaVita Kidney Care before joining Coltura as co-executive director in 2017. ²⁵

Adelaide Roberts is development director at Coltura. Previously she held leadership positions at Earthjustice and LifeMoves. ²⁶

Carlos Manzanedo is board president and a technical advisor at Microsoft. ²⁷

1. “About.” Coltura. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://coltura.org/about-coltura/
2. “Impact.” Coltura – Our Work. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://coltura.org/impact-coltura/
3. “New Bill in California: AB1267 – EV Incentives for Gasoline-Burdened Families.” Coltura. Accessed June 11, 2023. https://www.coltura.org/california-ev-incentives-prioritizing-lower-income-gasoline-superusers/
4. Stephen Edelstein. “Study: EV policy around gasoline superusers could help the most.” Green Car Report. April 25, 2023. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1139459_study-ev-policy-around-gasoline-superusers-could-help-the-most
5. “Washington Corporations and Charities Filing System.” Office of the Secretary of State. Accessed June 11, 2023. https://ccfs.sos.wa.gov/#/BusinessSearch/BusinessInformation
6. LinkedIn – Matthew Metz. Accessed June 11, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-metz-04b1137/details/experience/
7. “Our Methods.” Coltura – About. Accessed June 11, 2023. https://www.coltura.org/about-coltura/
8. “Programs and Results.” GuideStar Profile – Coltura. Accessed June 11, 2023. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/47-2276541
9. Stephen Edelstein. “Study: EV policy around gasoline superusers could help the most.” Green Car Report. April 25, 2023. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1139459_study-ev-policy-around-gasoline-superusers-could-help-the-most
10. “Washington State Bill Allocated $450,000 to Study Gasoline Superusers.” Coltura – Our Work – Policy Change. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://coltura.org/washington-state-gasoline-superusers-study/
11. “Beyond Gasoline Initiative.” Joint Venture Silicon Valley. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://jointventure.org/read-more-profiles/4-initiatives/climate-change/2065-beyond-gasoline-initiative
12. “Learn About Our Initiatives.” Joint Venture Silicon Valley. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://jointventure.org/initiatives/about-our-initiatives
13. YCC Team. “Picture book helps kids learn about the downsides of gasoline.” Yale Climate Connections. April 7, 2023. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2023/04/picture-book-helps-kids-learn-about-the-downsides-of-gasoline/
14. “Impact.” Coltura – Our Work. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://coltura.org/impact-coltura/
15. “Bill Information – SB 5811.” Washington State Legislature. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2019-20/Pdf/Bill%20Reports/Senate/5811%20SBR%20FBR%2020.pdf?q=20230612074016
16.  “Washington State Passes Law Establishing 2030 Target for Phasing Out Gasoline Vehicles.” Cision PR Newswire. April 15, 2021. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/washington-state-passes-law-establishing-2030-target-for-phasing-out-gasoline-vehicles-301269997.html
17. Kavya Balaraman. “Washington legislators again mandate 100% electric new car sales by 2030.” Utility Dive. March 14, 2022. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://www.utilitydive.com/news/washington-legislators-again-mandate-100-electric-new-car-sales-by-2030/620303/
18. Kavya Balaraman. “Washington legislators again mandate 100% electric new car sales by 2030.” Utility Dive. March 14, 2022. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://www.utilitydive.com/news/washington-legislators-again-mandate-100-electric-new-car-sales-by-2030/620303/
19. “New Bill in California: AB1267 – EV Incentives for Gasoline-Burdened Families.” Coltura. Accessed June 11, 2023. https://www.coltura.org/california-ev-incentives-prioritizing-lower-income-gasoline-superusers/
20. “Coltura Testifies in Support of AB1267 – EV Incentives for Gasoline-Burdened Families.” Coltura – News and Media. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://www.coltura.org/coltura-testifies-in-support-of-ab1267-ev-incentives-for-gasoline-burdened-families/
21. Coltura. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990 – Part I). 2021.
22. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer – Coltura. Accessed June 11, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?q=coltura
23. “Our Supporters.” Coltura – About. Accessed June 11, 2023. https://www.coltura.org/our-supporters-2/
24. LinkedIn – Matthew Metz. Accessed June 11, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-metz-04b1137/
25. LinkedIn – Janelle London. Accessed June 11, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/janelle-london-3983ab/
26. “Adelaide Roberts.” Coltura – About – Our Team. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://www.coltura.org/adelaide-roberts-development-director/
27. LinkedIn – Carlos Manzanado. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlos-manzanedo-7907223a/